Source of the Lake: 150 Years of History in Fond Du Lac
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SOURCE OF THE LAKE: 150 YEARS OF HISTORY IN FOND DU LAC Clarence B. Davis, Ph.D., editor Action Printing, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin 1 Copyright © 2002 by Clarence B. Davis All Rights Reserved Printed by Action Printing, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin 2 For my students, past, present, and future, with gratitude. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS AND LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PREFACE p. 7 Clarence B. Davis, Ph.D. SOCIETY AND CULTURE 1. Ceresco: Utopia in Fond du Lac County p. 11 Gayle A. Kiszely 2. Fond du Lac’s Black Community and Their Church, p. 33 1865-1943 Sally Albertz 3. The Temperance Movement in Fond du Lac, 1847-1878 p. 55 Kate G. Berres 4. One Community, One School: p. 71 One-Room Schools in Fond du Lac County Tracey Haegler and Sue Fellerer POLITICS 5. Fond du Lac’s Anti-La Follette Movement, 1900-1905 p. 91 Matthew J. Crane 6. “Tin Soldier:” Fond du Lac’s Courthouse Square p. 111 Union Soldiers Monument Ann Martin 7. Fond du Lac and the Election of 1920 p. 127 Jason Ehlert 8. Fond du Lac’s Forgotten Famous Son: F. Ryan Duffy p. 139 Edie Birschbach 9. The Brothertown Indians and American Indian Policy p. 165 Jason S. Walter 4 ECONOMY AND BUSINESS 10. Down the Not-So-Lazy River: Commercial Steamboats in the p. 181 Fox River Valley, 1843-1900 Timothy A. Casiana 11. Art and Commerce in Fond du Lac: Mark Robert Harrison, p. 199 1819-1894 Sonja J. Bolchen 12. A Grand Scheme on the Grand River: p. 219 Fairwater’s Fifty-Foot Waterwheel Andy Trewyn 13. The Cheese Industry in Fond du Lac County, 1844-1925 p. 235 Jennifer Wachter 14. The Sadoff Family of Fond du Lac p. 247 Dawn Iorio 15. KFIZ: Fond du Lac County’s Original AM Radio Station p. 265 Anne Kelly LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS The “New House,” Ceresco, Constructed 1847 p. 10 (Fond du Lac Historical Society Collection) The Reverend James B. Rogers p. 32 (Fond du Lac Historical Society Collection) Mrs. Frances Shirley p. 52 (Fond du Lac Historical Society Collection) Marr St., Fond du Lac, Looking North, 1870s p. 54 Several Churches Active in the Temperance Movement are Shown (From Left) St. Peter’s, Congregational, Presbyterian, St. Joseph’s First Baptist (Fond du Lac Historical Society Collection) One-Room Schoolhouse at Ries Cemetery, 1912 p. 78 (Fond du Lac Historical Society Collection) 5 Robert M. (Fighting Bob) LaFollette, 1922 p. 92 (Fond du Lac Historical Society Collection) Union Soldiers Monument, Fond du Lac, p. 110 (Postcard, Fond du Lac Historical Society Collection) Major F. Ryan Duffy in World War I Uniform, 1919 p. 147 (Fond du Lac Historical Society Collection) Burial of Minnehaha, Mark Robert Harrision, 1887 p. 179 (Fond du Lac Historical Society Collection, photo, C. B. Davis) Excursion Steamboat at Fond du Lac, before 1908 p. 180 (Postcard, Fond du Lac Historical Society Collection) Self Portrait, Mark Robert Harrison, 1854 p. 198 (Fond du Lac Historical Society Collection, photo, C. B. Davis) Wilson’s Woods, Mark Robert Harrison, p. 200 (Fond du Lac Historical Society Collection, photo, C. B. Davis) Heart of the Andes, Mark Robert Harrison, after 1860 p. 208 (Fond du Lac Historical Society Collection, photo, C. B. Davis) Fifty-foot Overshot Waterwheel, Fairwater, Wiconsin p. 218 (Courtesy, Fairwater Historical Society, photo, Marie Hardesty) Residence and Cheese Factory of Chester Hazen, Springvale, Fond du Lac County (From 1874 Plat Book) p. 234 (Fond du Lac Historical Society Collection) Abraham and Rebecca Sadoff with their Nine Children, 1948 p. 248 (Courtesy, Thelma Sadoff) Ben Sadoff at Marian College Horse Show, ca. 1964 p. 261 (Marian College Archives) KFIZ Studio, 18 Forest Avenue, 1920s, p. 273 (Fond du Lac Historical Society Collection) KFIZ Remote Broadcast of Hormel Girls Corps Band and Choir, Roosevelt Junior High School Auditorium, 1930s p. 277 (Fond du Lac Historical Society Collection) 6 PREFACE This book of essays had its origin in a reevaluation of the History and Broad Field Social Studies curricula that was undertaken by the members of the History Program at Marian College in the spring of 1994. Beginning with the 1995-96 academic year, History majors and Broad Field Social Studies majors were required to prepare an ori- ginal historical essay, making use of primary sources, as the capstone to these major programs at Marian College. In 1997, it was decided to transform this capstone into a three-semester sequence of courses in order to permit students the necessary time for research, writing, and polishing of the essay. More than two years ago, I decided to undertake this book project as a contribution to Fond du Lac‘s celebration of its sesqui- centennial. From the beginning, students have been encouraged to pursue topics in local history in order to take advantage of the rich resources available in state and local reposi- tories and to permit full and effective use of documentary collections by undergraduates who typically lack the resources or the time for travel to more remote collections. In recent years, local history has left far behind the largely unfair characterization that it appealed only to those interested in genealogy or antiquarianism. Paralleling changes in attitudes of professional historians that have led to the emergence of social history and women‘s history, and growing from the perspectives of the French Annales school that have emphasized the importance of the rhythms of ―ordinary‖ life, local history has found an increasingly significant place in historical studies. From the perspective of Marian College students, most of whom are preparing to teach in Wisconsin schools, an intensive exploration of historical resources available in the community and State also makes a great deal of sense. These essays all have stemmed from this Marian College History Program pro- ject. Focused on Fond du Lac County and the vicinity, they explore varied aspects of the community and its development. Adaptations to rural life, race relations, diversity, social reform movements, gender in society, political conflict, immigration, community icon- ography, impact of technology on the community, and commercial development and change are all themes that are explored in these essays, which have been loosely grouped 7 into three categories: Society and Culture, Politics, and Economy and Business. Each essay makes an individual effort to explore dimensions of the evolution of a multifaceted American community that has experienced enormous change and a variety of rhythms of growth and decline over a period of a century and a half. One of the distinct pleasures of editing a volume such as this is the opportunity to work collaboratively with many others. In directing the research and writing of the papers and subsequently in editing them for publication, I have received the assistance, advice, and wisdom of many other people, whom it is my pleasure to thank here. Librarians play a key role in historians‘ efforts, and several have been involved in the evolution of this book. Mary Ellen Gormican, Library Director, and Carolyn Colwell and Nima Ingle, reference librarians at Marian College‘s Cardinal Meyer Library, have been the first resource for beginning students. John Ebert and Sally Albertz, of the Adams House Resource Center at the Fond du Lac Historical Society, have dazzled everyone with their command of the large and complex collection of materials that is available in Fond du Lac. Mary Georgeff, of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin in Madison, has been kind enough each semester to provide an introduction to one of the finest state historical archives in the country and to conduct electronic searches of the State Historical Society data bases for the students who were involved in writing these papers. All these individuals have given much time and effort in supporting the students‘ research on their topics. Other faculty members of the Marian College History Program, including Dr. James Ford, Dr. Mary Gross, Father Ron Jansch, Sr. Marie Scott, and Dr. Richard Whaley, all played roles in the completion of this project. They have read and commented on the papers and attended the presentations of completed research. Dr. Whaley carried on the direction of those papers that were in progress while I was on leave from Marian to teach in Europe in 1998-99, and he provided excellent background for all the students through his course on Wisconsin History. Father Ron and Dr. James Ford have been proofreaders nonpareil. 8 Jeff Kuhnz of Action Printing was most helpful in providing advice on preparing the photographs for the printer. Angie Mies, Desktop Publisher at Marian College, designed the cover, which incorporates the official logo of the sesquicentennial. Several students, past and present, assisted in preparing the manuscript. Ashley Bruckschen and Natalie Ogasawara typed portions of the text that were not available on disk. Sally Albertz identified appropriate photographs and background information on the Mark Harrison paintings that are reproduced among the illustrations, and Gayle Kiszely and Edie Birschbach assisted with the major task of editing and proofreading. And of course there would be no book at all without the sixteen authors whose work is represented here. Finally, this book represents a community effort made possible through its fund- ing as a part of the Fond du Lac sesquicentennial celebration. Generous contributions have been made by the Fond du Lac Public Library, through its Bernice and Robert Seefeld Fund, for which I thank Leslyn Shires, Director, by the members of the Fond du Lac County Historical Society, and by Marian College of Fond du Lac, through the efforts of President Richard I. Ridenour, M.D., and of Vice President for Academic Affairs Sheryl Ayala, who both have been consistently supportive of this project.